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We report the full polyprotein genomic sequence of a West Nile virus strain isolated from Eurasian magpies dying with neurologic signs in Greece. Our findings demonstrate the local genetic evolution of the West Nile virus strain responsible for a human disease outbreak in the country that began in 2010. © 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.

The MHC class II region in humans is highly polymorphic. Each MHC molecule is formed by an α and a β chain, produced by different genes, creating an antigen-binding groove. In the groove there are several pockets into which antigens anchor and fit. The affinity of this fitting determines the recognition specificity of a given peptide. Here, based on our previous results about the association of MHC class II with the WNV disease, we examined the role of the binding pockets of HLA-DPA1, -DQA1 and-DRB1 in the severe form of the disease. In HLA-DQA1, variants in all pockets 1, 6 and 9 were found to be associated with either protection and/or susceptibility to neuroinvasion caused by WNV. Similarly, pockets 7, 9 and 10 in HLA-DRB1 were associated with severe disease. Protein modeling of these molecules revealed structural and functional differences among alleles with opposite roles concerning the development of the disease. Different amino acids in positions α52 and α66 (HLADQA1) significantly influenced the peptide binding while DYWLR/EFA combination (HLADRB1) was associated with neuronal damage. Further studies could help us understand the selectivity of pocket variants in order to create suitable peptides for an effective response. © 2018 Sarri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

WNV is a zoonotic neurotropic flavivirus that has recently emerged globally as a significant cause of viral encephalitis. The last five years, 624 incidents of WNV infection have been reported in Greece. The risk for severe WNV disease increases among immunosuppressed individuals implying thus the contribution of the MHC locus to the control of WNV infection. In order to investigate a possible association of MHC class II genes, especially HLA-DPA1, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DRB1, we examined 105 WNV patients, including 68 cases with neuroinvasive disease and 37 cases with mild clinical phenotype, collected during the period from 2010 to 2013, and 100 control individuals selected form the Greek population. Typing was performed for exon 2 for all three genes. DQA1∗01:01 was considered to be "protective" against WNV infection (25.4% vs 40.1%, P = 0.004) while DQA1∗01:02 was associated with increased susceptibility (48.0% vs 32.1%, P = 0.003). Protection against neuroinvasion was associated with the presence of DRB1∗11:02 (4.99% vs 0.0%, P = 0.018). DRB1∗16:02 was also absent from the control cohort (P = 0.016). Three additional population control groups were used in order to validate our results. No statistically significant association with the disease was found for HLA-DPA alleles. The results of the present study provide some evidence that MHC class II is involved in the response to WNV infection, outlining infection "susceptibility" and "CNS-high-risk" candidates. Furthermore, three new alleles were identified while the frequency of all alleles in the study was compared with worldwide data. The characterization of the MHC locus could help to estimate the risk for severe WNV cases in a country. © 2016 Sarri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) disease were recorded for three consecutive years in Greece following the year 2010 outbreak. A cross-sectional serologic survey was conducted to estimate the WNV seroprevalence and assess the ratio of infection to neuroinvasive disease. A stratified left-over sampling methodology was used including age and residence strata. A total of 3,962 serum samples was collected and tested for WNV Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). All positive samples were further tested by Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT) and WNV Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies. WNV IgG antibodies were detected in 82 samples and 61 were also positive in PRNT representing a weighted seroprevalence of 2.1% (95% C.I.: 1.7-2.6) and 1.5% (95% C.I.: 1.2-2.0), respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that seroprevalence was associated with age and residence. The overall ratio of neuroinvasive disease to infected persons was estimated at 1:376 (95% C.I.: 1:421-1:338), while the elderly people had the highest ratio. This nationwide study provided valuable data regarding the epidemiology of WNV in Greece based on the fact that elderly people have higher risk of being both infected and having severe disease. © 2015 Hadjichristodoulou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Greece was declared malaria-free in 1974 after a long antimalarial fight. In 2011–2012, an outbreak of P. vivax malaria was reported in Evrotas, an agricultural area in Southern Greece, where a large number of immigrants from endemic countries live and work. A total of 46 locally acquired and 38 imported malaria cases were detected. Despite a significant decrease of the number of malaria cases in 2012, a mass drug administration (MDA) program was considered as an additional measure to prevent reestablishment of the disease in the area. During 2013 and 2014, a combination of 3-day chloroquine and 14-day primaquine treatment was administered under direct observation to immigrants living in the epicenter of the 2011 outbreak in Evrotas. Adverse events were managed and recorded on a daily basis. The control measures implemented since 2011 continued during the period of 2013–2014 as a part of a national integrated malaria control program that included active case detection (ACD), vector control measures and community education. The MDA program was started prior to the transmission periods (from May to December). One thousand ninety four (1094) immigrants successfully completed the treatment, corresponding to 87.3% coverage of the target population. A total of 688 adverse events were recorded in 397 (36.2%, 95% C.I.: 33.4–39.1) persons, the vast majority minor, predominantly dizziness and headache for chloroquine (284 events) and abdominal pain (85 events) for primaquine. A single case of primaquine-induced hemolysis was recorded in a person whose initial G6PD test proved incorrect. No malaria cases were recorded in Evrotas, Laconia, in 2013 and 2014, though three locally acquired malaria cases were recorded in other regions of Greece in 2013. Preventive antimalarial MDA to a high-risk population in a low transmission setting appears to have synergized with the usual antimalarial activities to achieve malaria elimination. This study suggests that judicious use of MDA can be a useful addition to the antimalarial armamentarium in areas threatened with the reintroduction of the disease. © 2015 Tseroni et al.

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In the present study, the effects of extracts and polyphenol-rich fractions as well as monomer polyphenols identified in them, from both red and white grapes, on mitomycin C (MMC) induced sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes were investigated. The grape extracts and two of the three polyphenol-rich fractions promoted MMC-induced SCEs at concentrations from 75 to 300 μg/mL. However, none of the extracts or fractions alone induced SCEs. Thus, these results suggest caution especially with regard to the use of grape extracts as dietary supplements. On the other hand, the fact that these extracts were not genotoxic alone may indicate a selective activity against genetically damaged cells. This is the first study regarding the clastogenic effects of grape extracts in human cells. Moreover, from the tested polyphenols, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and rutin hydrate enhanced MMC-induced clastogenicity, whereas ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, and trans-resveratrol had no effect at concentrations between 5 and 100 μM. The differences in the chemical structures of the tested polyphenols may account for their differential effects on MMC clastogenicity. © 2007 American Chemical Society.

Phylogenetic relationships between 37 echovirus clinical isolates, most of them originating from an aseptic meningitis outbreak during 2001 in Greece, were investigated by RT-PCR and sequencing. The generic primers 292 and 222 were used to amplify about 300 bp of the 5′ end of VP1 while primers EUG3a, 3b, 3c, and EUC2 amplified the entire coding sequence of the 2A and 2B genes. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for each genomic region using the clinical isolates' sequences and those of the prototype echoviruses in order to investigate the correlation of part of VP1 with the serotype as well as the genetic variation of the echovirus genome in 2A and 2B. The phylogenetic grouping pattern of the clinical isolates revealed that there is a correlation of serotype and genotype in the part of VP1 that was investigated, while this pattern is disrupted in the adjacent genomic regions that were sequenced. Sequence analysis of the adjacent 2A and 2B genes provided a different pattern of phylogenetic relationships and strong evidence of epidemiological linkage of most of the clinical isolates. © Springer-Verlag 2006.

Submitted by Deborah Power (dpower@ualg.pt) on 2014-10-23T13:27:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 The two isoforms of myosin light chain 2 in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata); alternative polyadenylation site selection and tissue expression.pdf: 21890 bytes, checksum: 03c705f5701f90fb4b8778e04228282b (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Filipa Custódio (fccustodio@ualg.pt) on 2014-10-24T12:32:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 The two isoforms of myosin light chain 2 in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata); alternative polyadenylation site selection and tissue expression.pdf: 21890 bytes, checksum: 03c705f5701f90fb4b8778e04228282b (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-24T12:32:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 The two isoforms of myosin light chain 2 in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata); alternative polyadenylation site selection and tissue expression.pdf: 21890 bytes, checksum: 03c705f5701f90fb4b8778e04228282b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005

Brown hares were absent from central europe during the Late Glacial because of unsuitable habitats. We compare mtDNA variability (cyt b, COI, 12S/16SrNA) of 759 brown hares from different parts of Europe and Asia Minor to examine the contribution of supposed Pleistocene refuge populations and some other hypothesis. The geographical pattern of haplotypes groups suggested postglacial colonization of central Europe predominantly from one source population, probably located in the south-central Balkans or east of Balkans. In Greece were one or more Pleistocene refuge populations.

Two full-length cDNA clones encoding the skeletal myosin light chain 2 (MLC2; 1452 bp) and myosin light chain 3 (MLC3; 972 bp) were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata larvae. The MLC2 cDNA encoded a predicted protein of 170 residues that was 79 % identical to rabbit MLC2 over the entire length and 87 % identical within the Ca2+- binding region. The deduced amino acid sequence of MLC3 was 153 residues in length and was 91 % and 69% identical to the zebrafish and rabbit MLC3, respectively. Northern blot analysis revealed that in adults both transcripts were expressed in fast white muscle only. MLC2 appeared earlier in development: MLC2 transcripts were detectable from the beginning of segmentation, whereas MLC3 transcripts did not appear until 27 h post-fertilisation. At this developmental stage, a second MLC2 transcript of 0.89 kilobase-pairs was present. MLCs exhibited a different age-related pattern of response to varied thyroidal states, which were experimentally induced by the administration of 1 mgg-1 body mass of thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine (T3), or 5 ng g-1 body mass of the hypothyroidal compound thiourea; MLC3 expression was not significantly affected, whereas levels of MLC2 transcripts were significantly elevated in the white muscle only of juvenile sea bream after administration of T4. Although the mechanism of thyroidal regulation of MLC expression remains unknown, the present results suggest that different regulatory mechanisms exist for different MLCs.

We examined genetic diversity of hares from Greece (n*54) and Croatia (n=18) in comparison with already published data of brown hares from other parts of Europe particulary to check for genetic variants specific to SE European hares. Genetic diversity of Croatian hares (mostly Brijuni, Vis) was within the range of central European hares. SE gene pools diverged only slightly from those of the other European regions. This indicated close relationships among all brown hares studied so far in Europe.

Submitted by Adelino Canario (acanario@ualg.pt) on 2014-05-13T10:28:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Molecular cloning and sequence of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) alpha-skeletal actin Tissue and developmental expression.pdf: 564221 bytes, checksum: 847ee93b61e3ae7bcd767948cd38887c (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Merja Muzavor (mmuzavor@ualg.pt) on 2014-05-15T10:27:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 7223591071001921.zip: 549504 bytes, checksum: 6af4c95d00d0df8198fa5d6424cf141e (MD5) Molecular cloning and sequence of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) alpha-skeletal actin Tissue and developmental expression.pdf: 564221 bytes, checksum: 847ee93b61e3ae7bcd767948cd38887c (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-15T10:27:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 7223591071001921.zip: 549504 bytes, checksum: 6af4c95d00d0df8198fa5d6424cf141e (MD5) Molecular cloning and sequence of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) alpha-skeletal actin Tissue and developmental expression.pdf: 564221 bytes, checksum: 847ee93b61e3ae7bcd767948cd38887c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001

WE report the regulation of type 1 receptor mRNA in Y-79 human retinoblastoma cells, grown in the absence or presence of pharmacological levels of phorbol esters, forskolin, glucocorticoids and their combinations. To control for inducibility and for assessing the sensitivity of the Y-79 system to glucocorticoids, corticotropin releasing hormone mRNA levels were measured in parallel. All treatments stimulated corticotropin releasing hormone receptor type I gene expression relative to baseline. A weak suppression of corticotropin releasing hormone mRNA level was observed during dexamethasone treatment. The cell line expressed ten-fold excess of receptor to Ligand mRNA under basal conditions. The findings predict the presence of functional phorbol ester, cyclic AMP and glucocorticoid response elements in the promoter region of corticotropin releasing hormone receptor type I gene and support a potential role for its product during chronic stress and immune/inflammatory reaction.